Ryjyllian
Ryjyl, an icy planet in the Frontier Zone, is home to a species of warriors without peer. To a Ryjyllian, honor is everything. Honor is primarily gained through battle; therefore, battle is everything. The Ryjyllians are known throughout the galaxy as some of the most skilled and vicious warriors around, and they’re feared for their short tempers. However, it’s also commonly known that a Ryjyllian would rather die than bring shame upon her clan; for this reason, most other species view the Ryjyllians with a healthy respect that’s tempered by caution. Ryjyllians have cat-like eyes, retractable claws, pointed ears atop the head, and fur. Ryjyllian fur is thick—the better to withstand the cold climate of their homeworld—and typically ranges from dark gray to bright white, though variations from this norm are not uncommon. Ryjyllians have thick manes, regardless of their gender, that they braid and grow long; these braids often have some significance, though the meaning varies from clan to clan. Unlike many other starfaring species, Ryjyllians value the ties to their families more than ties to their species. To a Ryjyllian, the clan is everything. There are countless clans of varying sizes throughout the galaxy (though most of them are still based on Ryjyl), and each operates as an independent nation-state. There are alliances between clans, and occasionally smaller clans merge into a larger clan, but for the most part, they’re separate entities. For this reason, people sometimes find it difficult to deal with Ryjyllians; just because you’ve signed a treaty with one clan doesn’t mean that another clan will honor it. Ryjyllians, in general, follow a very strict warrior code, and while clans sometimes have variations on this code, the basics are universal. Ryjyllian honor forces fair combat, even between bitter enemies, and a Ryjyllian must give quarter to an enemy that surrenders. These rules apply to all conflicts between Ryjyllians, but the rules are more lax when it comes to members of other species. The code says that most non-Ryjyllians are without honor, and therefore will not participate in honorable combat or dealings when given the chance. Most Ryjyllians will give a non-Ryjyllian the benefit of the doubt once, but if the caution proves to be warranted, a non-Ryjyllian can expect little in the way of honor or even civility from that individual or her clan. Ryjyllian Names Ryjyllians have round, yowling names, which reflect their native tongue. All Ryjyllians identify their ancestors through several generations when making a formal introduction. Such a recitation generally sounds like a catfight to outsiders. MALE NAMES: Awrlol, Awrrl, Awyawl, Brawrlal, Brrawl, Grawl, Grawyawarl, Grrawal, Hsbrawrl, Hsyrrl, Mawl, Mrryawl, Mrryrl, Prawl, Prbrawl, Prrmrrl, Waryall, Wawarrl, Yall, Yawawl. FEMALE NAMES: Bawrgrr, Brrwr, Gbrowr, Gbrywr, Grrawr, Hsbrrwr, Mawr, Mrrawr, Prrbrawr, Prrbrwr, Prrowr, Rorlawr, Rrowr, Srrbrrawr, Wrrawr, Yawbrowr, Yibrowr, Yowr, Yowrmrr, Yrrbrr. FAMILY NAMES: Ryjyllians don’t have family names per se; they list their ancestors. The term “awp” indicates descent, and the more prestigious parent is typically listed. A formal Ryjyllian name will look like this: Yall awp Yibrowr awp Awrlol awp Gbrywr. CLAN NAMES: The clan name is not part of the personal name, and most Ryjyllians can recognize what clan another Ryjyllian comes from on sight. A Ryjyllian will offer her clan if asked, but she’ll usually assume that it’s obvious. The five largest clans are Hawp, Hwrrr, Mrrr, Myip, and Yowrrr.